Virgin Hyperloop achieves 172 km/h with passengers on board

Virgin Hyperloop completed the world’s first passenger ride on a super high-speed levitating pod system in Las Vegas on Sunday November 8, 2020. Richard Branson’s next generation transportation test achieved 172 km/h but this is only just the beginning as they expect to reach speeds over 900 kilometres per hour.

Passengers Sarah Luchian, Director of Passenger experience, and Josh Giegel, co-founder and Chief Technology operator were the first people to take a ride on Virgin Hyperloop.

Watch video of Virgin Hyperloop first human passenger test:

The hyperloop system uses magnetic levitation to allow quiet travel, with the intention of completing a trip like New York to Washington in just 30 minutes. If achieved, that would be twice as fast as a commercial jet flight and four times faster than a high-speed train.

Completing its first run with human passengers on board is an important step for the hyperloop company to reach its goal.

“I had the true pleasure of seeing history made before my very eyes,” said Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, chairman of Virgin Hyperloop and group chairman and chief executive of DP World.

Canada’s own hyperloop company, Transpod based in Toronto is also developing similar technology that they say will achieve distances like Toronto to Montreal in half an hour transporting cargo and passengers in elevated pods through vacuum tubes at speeds in excess of 966 km/h or faster.

Richard Branson’s Los Angeles-based Virgin Hyperloop hopes to have their freight and passenger system operational by 2030 with safety tests started as soon as 2025.

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